Beauty & Body Image

“I never thought I’d land in pictures with a face like mine.” […] “I don’t have sex appeal and I know it. As a matter of fact, I think I’m rather funny looking. My teeth are funny, for one thing, and I have none of the attributes usually required for a movie queen, including the shapeliness.”

“My skin has caused me a lot of anxiety and sadness. I have a specific type of body dysmorphia that stems from acne. I see any acne on my face as an obsessive thing. [It’s] the only thing I can think about, and it makes me want to hide.”

On a surprising #breakoutbuddy:

“Lorde actually messaged me on Instagram when I had spoken out about my acne,” she says, “and she was like, ‘Girl, I feel you. I’m totally on the same page as you.’ It was really comforting and very sweet of her.”

On coping with camera phones and paparazzi:

“It’s only been two years that I’ve been semi in the spotlight, and it still pisses me off so bad when I see someone trying to sneak a photo of me,” she says. The idea that she can be photographed whenever, wherever, makes her feel “like a zoo animal.”

On feeling insecure:

“Sometimes I feel like I look like s—. Sometimes I don’t want to talk to anyone. And it’s like, I’m allowed to have those days. I’m not going to apologize for that.”

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Bechelorette / TV personality Ali Fedotowsky (33), who gave birth to her second child 2 months ago, recently showed off her new mom figure on Instagram and on her personal blog, in order to make a statement against the edited social media images.

This might be my most vulnerable post on Instagram ever. I’ve gone back-and-forth 1 million times in my head on whether not I wanted to post it. But at the end of the day, I know it’s important to be open and honest about my postpartum body in hopes that it helps even one person out there who is struggling with their own body image.’

I’m 15lbs heavier than I used to be, and my cup size has grown quite significantly. I bounced back pretty quickly after I gave birth to Molly. But things are different this time and I’m OK with that.

I’m learning to love my body and embrace how it’s changed. I hope I get back to my pre-pregnancy shape one day, but that may never happen. And if it doesn’t, that’s OK. I’m sitting so you can see what’s really going with me. I have all this loose skin around my mid-section. And as you can see, my chest, my very very veiny chest from breast feeding, has gotten so much bigger. This is a 34 DD, I was a very small 34C before.

29 year-old Candice Swanepoel gave birth to her second child a few weeks ago and a few days back, she was spotted rocking her new mom figure on the beach in Brazil. The photos made the body shamers come out, so Candice replied in one of her Insta stories:

‘This is me 12 days after having my son. If you have something bad to say about it…check yourself. Society can be so cruel to one another. Beauty standards are sometimes impossible for women these days. I’m not ashamed to show my post partum tummy. I am proud actually…I carried my son for 9 months in there. I think I’ve earned the right to have a little tummy. Candice continued, ‘Is it because I’m a model? Well we are normal people too, so let me enjoy the beach in peace please.’

I’m over the moon to finally share- This is totally surreal to see a fat body on the cover of a health magazine 😭🙏🏻 Thank you Self for changing the game with me! 💕

Self Magazine’s statement regarding their choice:

We’re thrilled to share our first ever digital cover, featuring model, author, and fat-positivity activist Tess Holliday (@tessholliday). From editor-in-chief @carolynkylstra’s editor’s letter: “Holliday identifies as a fat woman; we chose to give her a platform because she has insightful things to say about thriving in a world that devalues bodies of size. We also chose to feature her because size representation is necessary, especially for a national health media brand that can help guide the conversation about what it means to be healthy and how to make health accessible. You don’t know how healthy or unhealthy a person is just by looking at them, you don’t know what their health goals and priorities are, and you don’t know what they’ve already done or are planning to do for their health going forward. And moreover, you should know that concern trolling—using a person’s perceived health to justify making them feel bad about themselves—isn’t just counterproductive, it’s abusive.”